Friday, February 21, 2014

So, everybody buckled up?

Less than 24 hours to go 'til Francis' first Scarlet Bowl, the pieces are in the works and the stage is almost set.

But first, it's time again for the only commercial you'll ever see on these pages. Simply put, folks, the product here doesn't come from out of thin air... and unless this readership does its part to keep the shop running, well, it just can't run anymore.

Sure, there's a Big Weekend and beyond in the offing. As ever, though, what happens from here is less this scribe's call than yours:

The Main Event begins at 11 Rome time (1000GMT, 5am Eastern, 2 Pacific) Saturday morning. Beyond major pieces, for everything up to the minute, Page Three – either down the right sidebar or directly here – will have the running updates.

At least, that's the plan. If it's worth doing, don't just sit there and wait for the next thing – make it happen....

About Me

One of global Catholicism's most prominent chroniclers, Rocco Palmo has held court as the "Church Whisperer" since 2004, when the pages you're reading were launched with an audience of three, grown since by nothing but word of mouth, and kept alive throughout solely by means of reader support.

A former US correspondent for the London-based international Catholic weekly The Tablet, he's been a church analyst for The New York Times, Associated Press, Washington Post, Reuters, Los Angeles Times, BBC, NBC, CNN and NPR among other mainstream print and broadcast outlets worldwide.

A native of Philadelphia, Rocco Palmo attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In 2010, he received a Doctorate of Humane Letters honoris causa from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St Louis.

In 2011, Palmo co-chaired the first Vatican conference on social media, convened by the Pontifical Councils for Culture and Social Communications. By appointment of Archbishop Charles Chaput OFM Cap., he's likewise served on the first-ever Pastoral Council of the Archdiocese, whose Church remains his home.